Bad for potlucks, folks?

Yes, health departments' efforts to control every aspect of food consumption
do seem a little misplaced to some of us involved in organic agriculture. A look
at many studies of the human health on this planet indicates that food
consumption is not currently a very safe activity. On the other end of the issue
stands the fact that Washington State, with one of the highest rates of per
capita income, ranks 2nd in the nation for "food insecurity" - that means
families with not enough food to eat. Those nonprofit organizations whose
primary focus is "food security" might be granted a little latitude by the
regulators who seem to be, otherwise, shoveling sand against the tide of
corporate control of our food supply. Or, perhaps a correct metaphor would be
"carrying water" for the food corporations.

This isn't going to be an easy subject for a community gardening organization
to solve but we should keep in mind that our activities are at the forefront of
the individual family's opportunity to gain some measure of food security. If
the local food police feel that they have prosecutorial power over community
potlucks today are they then not likely to come to believe that they should
control community gardening tomorrow? Perhaps this would be acceptable if there
was some measure of success in their efforts to insure public safety.

However, here in Spokane and elsewhere in the state, the government has
managed to allow city compost to be contaminated with herbicides. Besides crop
loss, the result here has been the closing down of the city sponsored composting
effort at a very significant cost to taxpayers. Remarkably, this persistent
herbicide in the compost continues to be used on agricultural land despite
having been shown capable of not only persisting in plant residue but of passing
directly through cattle and contaminating manure.

A couple of years ago, there was a local outbreak of a food born parasitic
infection. Exposure occurred during a banquet and information about this very
significant health event was published in the journal of the American Medical
Association. Remarkably, the produce company and restaurant which were the
sources of this problem was never publicly identified.

One might be led to the conclusion that regulation is a matter of politics
when agencies step in aggressively to prohibit activities that draw attention
and seek to support local food security, while failing in their responsibilities
to provide local gardeners with safe soil amendments and to inform us of other
dangers to public health.

Unfortunately, the Health Authority in Spokane has ahistory of cracking
down on public consumption ofhome-cooked food in any context. I
remember when theybanned home-prepared food, even sandwiches, from
beingprovided to youth at Crosswalk, a centre to helpstreet kids.
The reason given was health risks fromimproperly prepared food -- but these
kids often haveto resort to eating out of trash bins, are they reallyin
danger from a couple of homemade sandwiches or abowl of soup? This
type of thing is a ridiculousabuse of authority to "protect us from
ourselves", andshould be fought with every bit of power at thepeople's
disposal.

=====Greening West Broadway Coordinator"Neighbourhood Solutions for
Community Change"